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Court to Rule on Disputed Exhibit in Emefiele Trial After EFCC Witness Lists Properties
The Special Offences Court in Ikeja, Lagos, will rule on Friday, 13 November, on whether to admit a Supreme Court judgment tendered by prosecutors in the trial of former Central Bank of Nigeria Governor Godwin Emefiele.
Justice Rahman Oshodi adjourned the case after an investigator with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) told the court that Emefiele had used associates to acquire properties he could not have afforded on his legitimate earnings as CBN governor, News About Nigeria reports.
Alvan Gurumnaan, who led the investigation and testified as the prosecution’s eighth witness, said his team traced properties in Lagos, Delta, Ogun and Abuja to the former governor.
He listed twin duplexes in Lekki Phase 1, two mansions on Queens Drive in Ikoyi, an unfinished factory in Agbor and a warehouse in Ogun State.
He also identified an industrial park, a development with 94 flats under construction and an Abuja estate with more than 700 unfinished homes.
Gurumnaan told the court that the properties he listed had been forfeited to the Federal Government under separate court orders.
Emefiele’s lawyer, Olalekan Ojo, asked the court to disregard testimony about the Agbor factory and a block of flats on Adekunle Lawal Street in Ikoyi, arguing that the properties were outside the charges before it.
Prosecutor Rotimi Oyedepo maintained that the evidence was relevant to the EFCC’s allegation that Emefiele used proceeds of gratification to acquire assets.
Oshodi allowed the testimony to continue, leaving the defence free to cross-examine Gurumnaan. The judge reserved his ruling on the separate objection to admitting the Supreme Court judgment.
Emefiele faces 19 counts relating to alleged gratification and corrupt demands during his tenure as CBN governor.
His co-defendant, Henry Omoile, faces three counts of alleged unlawful acceptance of gifts. Both pleaded not guilty.
The trial is due to continue after Friday’s ruling.
